Vietnam Prosperity Joint Stock Commercial Bank (VPBank) today announced that it has entered into an agreement with Japan’s Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) – a subsidiary of Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Inc. (hereinafter referred to as “SMFG”, and the Group collectively referred to as “SMBC Group”) – to issue 15 per cent of equity stake through a private placement, officially welcoming SMBC as an international strategic investor of the bank.
The investment from SMBC will help the bank raise VND35.9 trillion, or approximately US$1.5 billion, of Tier 1 capital, increasing its owner equity to around VND140 trillion from VND103.5 trillion. This comes as part of the capital raising plan that VPBank has been implementing during 2022-2023 in order to enhance its long-term financial strength and support the bank to realize its ambitious growth strategy over the next five years.
Following the latest SMBC’s strategic investment, VPBank will become Vietnam’s second largest bank in terms of owner equity, which allows it to serve a wide range of customer needs in various segments, including retail banking, corporate banking and SMEs. The robust capital stance will also back VPBank in serving large-scale enterprises, particularly the FDI and multi-national companies that have been or will be investing in Vietnam.
The new investment also proves a strong and trusted collaboration between SMBC and VPBank, since the two parties entered into a Business Partnership Agreement in May 2022. Previously, in 2021, SMBC Consumer Finance Co., Ltd – a subsidiary of SMFG – also acquired 49 per cent of equity stake in FE Credit, a wholly-owned subsidiary of VPBank.
SMBC, through this investment, will contribute towards VPBank’s growth by leveraging its know-how and business expertise accumulated in other Asian markets. SMBC is thus expected to help accelerate digital transformation at VPBank, in order to deliver customer-centric banking products and services and superior customer experience.
Furthermore, thanks to the great reputation of a large financial institution like SMBC, the strategic deal is anticipated to attract and encourage potential FDI companies among the 200,000 corporate clients of SMBC to come and expand their investment in Vietnam. These potential enterprises, once entering Vietnam successfully, will also likely to become clients of VPBank.
For SMBC itself, through the rapport built with a local bank like VPBank, the group will be able to strengthen its foothold in the country and exploit opportunities to serve local investment projects, particularly those in the field of infrastructure construction and green and sustainable growth that the group has been paying attention to in recent years.
About VPBank
As one of the earliest-established joint-stock commercial banks in Vietnam, VPBank has achieved sustainable development throughout its 30-year history. VPBank is now the leading commercial bank in Vietnam in terms of efficiency and profitability, with a strong presence in the retail and SME segments. It is also the digital pioneer implementing end-to-end digitization to deliver distinctive customer value propositions. As at December 31, 2022, VPBank’s total assets had amounted to approximately US$27 billion, with a nationwide network of 251 branches. VPBank is also among the best-capitalized banks with CAR at approximately 15%, well beyond the regulatory requirement, which has strengthened its balance sheet and provides headroom for future growth.
For more information, please visit https://www.vpbank.com.vn
About SMBC
Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) is one of the largest commercial banks in Japan. With offices in 39 countries and regions including the Americas, Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia and Oceania, SMBC has an extensive global network and a growing international presence. SMBC and its group companies offer a broad range of financial services, including deposit taking, lending, securities brokering and trading, securities investment, money transfer, foreign currency exchange, corporate bond trustee services and custody services, financial futures underwriting, investment trust sales and other commercial banking activities. SMBC is rated “A” by Fitch Ratings, “A” by Standard & Poor’s Global, and “A1” by Moody’s. For more information, please visit https://www.smbc.co.jp/global
